PalmAddicts

Round, Round, Get Around, I Get Around

Being a former truck driver, I love travelling for company business, even if it is only a hundred miles for a management interview. I spent most of yesterday either on the road or in Corpus Christi, TX. I was born and raised in San Antonio, so I get lost anywhere else (and sometimes there too!). I am still utilizing an original iPhone ugraded to 2.0 with an awesome Otterbox Defender case. While having the GPS functionality of my wife's 3G iPhone would have been lovely, the cell tower triangulation was more than enough to help me find my way around. (Next time I'll have to remember to bring a change of clothes and go site seeing...I'll be going back in two weeks for a final interview.) Aside from finding my way around, my iPhone was a lovely distraction device during downtime with games like Texas Hold 'Em and CroMagnum Rally. I also love reading books from my library with eReader and catching up on my Gray's Anatomy show. On the way down there (and back) I listened to music from a few of my playlists and got into an arguement with my supervisor over my Bluetooth headset. All in all, it was a pretty good day and I love my iPhone. Blogged from my iPhone.

No TV

Working graveyard shifts cannot only hamper your social, but it can also blur thebeeality around you. I arrived at work one day and noticed that we had really good sales. I couldn't figure out the spoke in sales until someone mentioned to me the hurricane in the gulf. I fired up weatherbug on my iPhone and saw no alerts, so I loaded the radar and there it was... I began texting friends and family members refreshing them on evacuation and holdout plans. I also was able to go through preparation checklists in my iPhone so I knew everything was ready...for it to pass us by. Better safe than sorry. Blogged from iPhone.

Kidz Luv iPhone 2

As many of you know I have been blessed with two children that have developed as an intense love of technology as I do. (And they're only 2 and 3 years old!) While watching an educational show on TV this morning with them I noticed that they were particularly intrigued by the music portion of the show and at the same time I happened to be reading an article about iBand. So, I loaded up installer and placed the guitar and piano synthesizer on my iPhone and had my kids entertained for the rest of the morning. My son, the 3 year old, has been using his mom's iPod Touch for a while so he is very familiar with the interface of the iPhone and before I know it he is watching one of his favorite shows on my iPhone with his sister right next to him. Too bad my iPhone is my camera or I would have a very cute picture.

iPhone Luv

Sometimes we take our technology for granted and just accept it as is. It wasn't until someone offered to buy my iPhone that I began to really realize how much I treasure this device. Sure it's missing a few key items (task list) but the iPhone wasn't originally engineered for business people who were constantly try to stay on top of projects. However, Apple has shown its commitment and with exchange in the pipeline, I'm sure some brilliant programmer will grant me a task list similar to what I experienced on the Treo. Speaking of Treo, I finally pulled my 755p out of the drawer and have begun reloading it with apps that I miss using. I always wondered about using a Treo as a standalone PDA and now I get my chance. It's going to be a bit awkward though. Yesterday, I had a raging toothache and refused to talk much less breathe out of my mouth. I wanted to tell my wife something and we are far too advanced to use pen and paper so I grabbed the Treo and began trying to type a memo of what I wanted to tell her. After about 6 spelling errors in the first sentence, I tossed the Treo aside and picked up my iPhone and typed out the message on the notepad in no time without any errors. Today when I went to the doctor for pain management (all the dentists in my small town are out of town for a convention) I had a reaction to the shot. As I lay recovering from nearly passing out, my wife keeps calling me because I've been gone for too long. Obviously, I'm not going to talk, so I pull out my iPhone and text away. Am I excited about a 3G iPhone...not really. (I can't believe I'm admitting that) The only thing I'm interested in as far as hardware goes is A2DP and stereo bluetooth support...oh, and the ability to send files via bluetooth. (That may actually all be software issues...I don't know.) All my other desires will be taken care of in the June firmware and resulting programs.

Patience

Many of us addicts sit at our computers for hours a day sifting through websites searching for the utopia of devices; that one device that will meet all of our needs and desires. I spent a few of those hours today going so far as to search devices released only overseas, those that are up and coming, and even a few that lay in the dust to see if that which I am truly searching for is out there or if it is just a figment of my imagination. I currently own a 16GB iPhone and all of the features that I am searching for are out there on other platforms, my problem is that I need to sit tight and wait for the final SDK rollout and wait for Apple and other developers to break my bank. So in an effort to spur on those that are developing and maybe a few listening ears at Apple, here is what I want for my iPhone: 1. Bluetooth support for HID, A2DP, AVRCP, DUN. 2. A "to do" application with alarms. 3. Exchange is already on the way... I know this is a tall list of demands, but this would make my iPhone experience perfect (for now, at least). I'd also like to see a native GPS application, but Google Maps with the location feature will work in a pinch. Wouldn't it be nice for Apple to surprise us with an early release instead of a push-back date? I have been working diligently with webapps, even tried my hand with a jailbroken iPhone (restored it to its locked version), and I am pheening (did I spell that right?) for some certified, guaranteed to work, native iPhone Applications!

In the mean time my iPhone serves as my alarm clock (I have so much stuff piled on my dresser that I can't even see my alarm clock anymore.), handtop computer, ipod, and child entertainer.

My gPhone

I keep wondering if maybe my iPhone is really a Google phone wrapped in a slick user interface. I've used Google maps to look up the address and phone numbers of several physicians, add them to my contacts, make calls, and add the appointments in my calendar (which will be synced to my Google calendar as soon as I connect my iPhone to my Macbook). Somedays it seems as if the only reason I have a smartphone is so that I have access to Google.

New Trust

One of the things that I have learned that I can trust my iPhone with that I couldn't trust my Treo with is waking me up. For one the klaxon alarm at full volume will wake the dead and make you think that your ship is going under. My Treo was too unstable to trust it with something this important. I have also noticed that since I bought my iPhone I have not missed one single call! My wife and I were constantly at each other about missed calls when the Treo simply didn't ring. Now is the iPhone a perfect replacement for my Treo? No, There are several nuances I miss from the Treo, but hopefully that will be fixed with Christmas in June.

iPhone, almost one month and counting

Programs I'd like to see from the SDK:
1. To do list with alarms
2. AudibleAir
3. A multi-service IM application that supports MySpaceIM, GoogleTalk, Yahoo, AIM, etc.
4. eBook reader

While I was in Corpus Christi yesterday on business I finally got a chance to really use Google Maps on the iPhone and I loved it! I love the fact that after you select a venue you can call, go to their website, get directions to/from, and add to contacts or bookmark it. After deciding to watch a movie and getting directions (Google Maps) and show times (Safari), I was able to make a few calls before going into the theater and then communicate via SMS after the movie started. The great thing about the iPhone is that there wasn't any noisy key presses while SMS-ing. While waiting between interviews and feedback sessions I kept up with RSS feeds through Google Mobile and played around with Facebook. On the trip down and back I listened to a few songs pipped through to my cars speakers and came close to finishing an audiobook from Audible. I will say this about audio books, it's cheaper to get a subscription through Audible than buy the book through iTunes.

One of my favorite things to do lately is purchase new music through the iTunes WiFi store. My favorite feature of the iPhone is being able to watch or listen to things with the built in speaker. The two things I miss from my Treo are the alert LED and tasks. What does the iPhone desperately need? A2DP!!!

Overall I'm pretty happy with my iPhone, although June can't come fast enough!!!

Is that a Treo in your pocket...

I'm so tired of meetings...If I have to attend one more meeting that we discuss financials, I'll go berserk! My only saving grace is that I place my Treo on the table and record the meeting on CallRec and just tune out through the boring parts. (I know, not a good business practice.) After leaving my meeting, I wanted to take my kids to the play area in the mall. My boss wanted me to send him a paragraph via email. (I had given him a hard copy, but he didn't want to have to retype it.) So while sitting in the play area watching my kids have a good time, I'm thumbing away on my Treo writing this paragraph, from memory, in Documents to Go and then I email the finished product. I called him to let him know that it was there waiting for him and he was surprised at the turn around time. He was also surprised today when I gave him a box that contained my Palm TX, a crystal case, leather case, extra screen protector, and music dock. I also gave him a wireless router that I was no longer using. Pretty good gift, huh? Hopefully, I will convert him into another Palm Addict, and since the Centro is rumored to be headed for T-Mobile, he would be able to graduate to a smartphone after he has mastered the TX.

Almost Gone!

I was almost certain that I wanted to sell or trade of my Treo 755 for a Razr II and run with the Razr and my old TX...then my Treo really shone. My alarm on my Treo went off at 8:50pm letting me know it was time to get up and start my day. I got up showered, shaved, and got dressed and headed out to work. During the breakdwon of our load, there was a case that was missing several items from it. I took a picture, attached a message, and emailed to our receiving controller and our food leader. Later on our riser team found some cases on the riser that are supposed to be sold as a 12 pack ,but they had been cut open, thus rendering a whole host of troubles. I took pictures of the cases that were not supposed to be cut and those that are and emailed them to my work email so I could create a flyer to let the stockers know about the error. While I'm working on the flyer, my mom messages me asking when my wife works tomorrow because she had two different times. I pulled up my calendar and sent her a response. Good thing too, because when I got home my wife thought she worked a lter shift and I showed her the schedule she had given me and made it to work on time. Normally, this would have been the end of my Treo's day, but since I was off, I decided to stay up. At 1pm, my Treo reminds me of a meeting with my department manager and I head off to work again with my trusty Treo. I took notes from our meeting on paper while my Treo recorded the meeting via CallRec voice memo feature. At the conclusion of our meeting I was informed that my 12pm meeting tomorrow had been changed back to 9am. I made the change in my calendar and fired up GooSync and voila, my google calendar was up to date for my family to see. After going home, I took the notes from my meeting and converted them into tasks in Agendus Premier. Later on, I picked up my wife from work, but while waiting, I sent a few text message to team members letting them know about their new responsibilities. After I had there responses, I marked them off in tasks. Lastly, I took a picture of two crew members being spotlighted in our regional newsletter, typed up a little info about them and sent off the email from my Treo. All I can say is THANK GOD FOR POWERHERO!!!